Nine Chattanooga residents are currently in the heart of Sendai, Japan, offering tsunami and earthquake disaster relief in conjunction with R3 International.
“R3 International is really a network of willing volunteers who have training, experience and the skills needed as well as a strong belief that local churches and communities should lead the charge,” said Brian McKeon, director of R3 International, who took the volunteers to the Chattanooga airport Thursday. “Everyone is a volunteer. No one gets paid. We’re big friends of short-term response and long-term connections.”
R3 International volunteers prepare to board the first of a series of planes that will carry them to tsunami-ravaged Sendai, Japan. From left are David Peck, Jackson Alexander, Jim Terney, Christy Righter and R3 International director Brian McKeon, who will coordinate efforts from Chattanooga.The volunteers in Japan are Highway 58 resident David Peck, Flintstone, Ga. residents Jim Terney, Tim English and Jenny English, Highland Park resident Nancy Carter, Southside resident Christy Righter and St. Elmo residents Jackson Alexander, Vincent Howard and Yukiko Howard. Half of the volunteers will remain for 11 days while the rest stay a full two weeks, doing anything from providing counseling to distributing food.
“We want to help the local churches be active in fulfilling the needs around them,” said Peck, who has worked with R3 International before.
R3 International raised $20,000 to cover the cost of the volunteers’ airfare as well as the cost of supplies like multi-use tools needed for building shelters in Japan. R3 International also arranged for a portion of the money to be given directly to relief organizations in Japan, which are struggling to supply basic necessities.